Tony Dutrow's In Trouble at Aqueduct in Gotham

Don’t even go there! This “Trouble” has nothing to do with any issue involving the NYRA. You have the wrong Dutrow. It has everything to do with a brilliant 3-year-old named In Trouble, making his sophomore debut in the $500,000 G3 Gotham Stakes at Aqueduct.

The bay son of Tiz Wonderful last raced 5 months ago, an impressive victory in the G2 Futurity at Belmont Park. Coincidentally, Financial Mogul (#3 in Gotham) futilely chased In Trouble that day, finishing a distant 4th.

After the Futurity, In Trouble required surgery to remove a chip fracture from his left knee. “If there is any injury your horse would have to have, this is one in which they can make a full recovery and return to their previous form”, says Dutrow, who is credited for naming the colt because back then he was quoted, “… come his maiden race, that’s what his rivals will be in..”

The Gotham is far from a maiden race, but #2 - In Trouble (5-1) has been training smartly for his three-year-old debut and has the pedigree to stretch out from his 2-for-2 career sprint record, to hit the Derby Trail running. He’ll face 9 rivals as #5 – Monopolize will be scratched.

HOW I SEE IT: Not an abundance of early speed, as In Trouble from the rail will force Rocco’s hand to go, as will Harpoon with Ortiz’s urging who is hung to the far outside post. The trio of Uncle Sigh, Samraat and Extrasexyhippzster will also be quick from the gate. Deceived and Master Lightning will settle mid-pack as Financial Mogul and Noble Cornerstone save their energy hoping for a strong run through the stretch.

Beyond the 5/8th pole it is difficult to call how this field will shake out since there are plenty of factors to consider like…

The BEST BET of the Day (6: 2-0-2) My Wandy’s Girl (1st race: 3-1 M/L; 5-2 PT) was a forward factor outside the early pacesetter down the backstretch, was put to urging mid-way on the backstretch, was fanned four wide by the leader turning for home, challenged for the lead between horses in midstretch then edged clear under energetic urging to win by a length, returning $7.20 to WIN, $4.00 to PLACE and $3.00 to SHOW.

FYI – the BEST BET of the Day selection will never be a M/L favorite and the LONGSHOT PICK will simply be the runner having the highest M/L odds among my top picks for an entire card.

PLEASE NOTE: Statistics provided for the BEST BET and LONGSHOT PICK in parentheses represent the Number of Picks: Wins-Places-Shows. For example, the BEST BET (10: 1-2-3) was picked 10 times resulting in 1 winner, 2 places and 3 shows. In the past, I would reset these numbers at the start of each meet. For 2014, I reset these numbers on Jan. 1st in order to chart results on a yearly basis.

Selections for Saturday, Mar. 1st at Laurel Park posted below are based on a FAST dirt track as the forecast calls for sunny skies with temps in the mid-50’s. Selections posted were handicapped based on making multi-race wagers such as DOUBLE’s, Pick-3’s and Pick-4’s using all three (3) listed for each race in each leg.

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Meet Gary QuillI am the
most passionate person on the planet when it comes to thoroughbred horse
racing! One sunny summer day in 1964 at Timonium Race Track is where my Dad and
mentor introduced me to “The Sport of Kings”. Since that day, I have had the
pleasure to visit over 40 different tracks across North
America. Though an IT professional by trade, I’ve had a part-time
gig with the Maryland Jockey Club since 1988.

There are
thousands of rail-birds who claim to be great handicappers. Well, I don’t claim
to be the best… just the most passionate and one that won’t tout “chalk”. Like
a savvy stock broker, I look for value and often find it. Unlike the talking
heads on horse racing television networks and the dozens of websites featuring
handicapper’s opinions, I’m ACCOUNTABLE. That is, good or bad, you’ll always know
how my previously posted picks performed along with a running record of my BEST
BET and LONGSHOT Play of the Day selections for Maryland tracks (Laurel and Pimlico) at TheRacingBiz, see "The GQ Approach".

In addition
to focusing on the Maryland
thoroughbred racing circuit, each year I follow the Derby Trail and post “GQ’s Derby Double Dozen” in early
February.

My personal
mission is to rejuvenate interest in thoroughbred horse racing. Being able to
share my energy, thoughts and opinions on this sport via HRN will certainly
help the cause.

"I lost $2 at Santa Anita and I've spent $3 million trying to get it back." - Mickey Rooney